The Old Doors Trail, uncovering the untold stories of Durrës

Since 2012, she has been working as a lecturer of cultural heritage at “Aleksandër Moisiu” University in Durres. However, her true passion lay in a dream, a project that led her on a beautiful journey. In January 2021, she brought her vision to life by establishing MuZEh Lab, a cultural community centre and non-profit organization, aiming to bring to light the history of Durrës for the younger generations and tourists coming from abroad.

"MuZEH Lab is a project I was planning for quite some time. I decided to start it within my family's old house in the alleys of Durrës," Dorina reveals. Her family house, dating back to the 1930s, was constructed after the devastating earthquake of 1926, which prompted the rebuilding of many homes. “Behind every door of this neighborhood, there is a story to be told. My aim was not only to uncover and tell these stories but also to revive the cultural life.”

The entrance to her family home was the initial step in inviting the community to participate in her project. She named it the "Door of Wishes," encouraging local residents to hang a memento and express a wish. Today, this gate has become a magnet for tourists exploring the area and is easily locatable on Google Maps.

Passing through this welcoming gate leads one into MuZEhLab, a place where antiquities and memories from various eras of Durrës coexist without explanation or chronological order. Dorina explained to us that she has done this on purpose so visitors can think and discuss between themselves on what they see in front of them.

"My vision is for people to engage with these artifacts, evoke emotions, and foster discussions about the past," says Dorina. Beyond being a museum MuZEhLab, has turned into a meeting place where artists, artisans, and youngsters discuss about cultural topics and organize activities and workshops.

"This gate, this centre, and this community pushed us to come up with our latest project of the Old Doors Trail of Durrës," says Dorina. “In collaboration with Durrësi Aktiv, we have expanded the idea to uncover the history of the 12 old gates of Durrës and to recreate them by the craftsmanship of Durrës’ craftswomen. Thanks to EU support, it has turned into a success”, she says.

"When the Past meets the Future – Durres Cultural Heritage revitalization" project is just one of 23 that have received funding under the EU4Culture grants program. Financed by the European Union and implemented by UNOPS in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, EU4Culture was launched by the EU to help Albanians recover from the 2019 earthquake. EU4Culture has focussed on not only repairing Albanian cultural heritage sites but also funding local initiatives to boost cultural tourism in Albania.

The joint project of the organizations aims to revitalize Durrës historical monuments by connecting the collective civic memory with the archaeological heritage and creating new cultural attractions, like the doors of the 19th and 20th centuries. “Collaborating with the artisans’ community, we have transformed the doors to unique and artistic artisan work to revive these crafts”, says Dorina.

The Old Doors Trail was unveiled this summer and Dorina is optimistic about its impact. “Over 150,000 people have scanned the QR code for this trail, which can now be accessible to tourists free of charge”, she proudly says. Durrësi Aktiv and MuZEH Lab are now thinking about the next steps, on how this trail can bring opportunities and benefits to the community.

"We want to take this project further. We will begin by inviting tour agencies to include the Doors Trail in their Durrës packages. In addition, with the help of artisans, we will produce small souvenirs of these recreated doors and sell them to tourists so that the artisans can also profit.”

By intertwining history with tourism and involving the community, they aspire to foster sustainable tourism in Durrës, a city with over 3,000 years of history and countless of stories waiting to be uncovered.

More information on the EU4Culture programme here: www.eu4culture.al